Stakeholders
Congress members, national advocacy groups, immigrant groups, state health directors, etc.

Mission
Iinform and educate federal and state legislators and agencies on the
significance of National Certification and the appropriateness of those services.

Goals
Develop sample letters, consistent template to send to legislators
Define targets, key players to know who to influence
Keep track of what each state is doing re: legislation and medical interpreting activities, to Stay abreast of latest information
Help organize future advocacy meetings in Congress

Outreach Strategies
Tap into existing grassroots organizations and advocacy groups in our respective states in order not to reinvent wheel

Reporting
Make sure maintain communication with other task forces,
How: chair will report quarterly or periodically as needed
Frequency of Meetings - monthly meetings at first, then revised accordingly, chair
of this task force will report to others to make them aware.

---

Habib Serrano Abedrabbo, CMI - Government Task Force Chairperson
IMIAFlorida@gmail.com

Habib Serrano-Abedrabbo CMI, is of Middle Eastern and Ecuadorian parents, began his medical career at the age of 15 as a volunteer for Whittier Community Hospital for the Department of Emergency Medicine. With over a decade of experience in the medical setting, he has also worked in the health service management field.  In 2008, he branched out to become a full time Spanish medical interpreter.  Because of his passion for medicine, he attends annual symposiums in different areas of medicine in order to maintain himself current with the continuous changes in medical conditions, diagnostic tests, and treatments, and furthers his education by reading the latest medical journals and publications. He was the first nationally certified medical interpreter to receive the CMI credential in early 2010. 
 
Through his medical interpreting experience he has become a state advocate for the profession by becoming the IMIA Florida State Representative. As such he represents Florida medical interpreters and oversees the Florida IMIA Chapter. He is also the Chairman of the National Interpreters Advocacy Forum Government Task Force; responsible for advocating for the profession in our nation’s capitol by participating in various meetings with congressional leaders. 
 
On January 1, 2011 he was appointed by the IMIA as one of the two IMIA representatives to the Board of Directors for the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters and on February of 2011 he was appointed as one of the officers for this independent non-profit organization.  His commitment for adequate health care allows for him to continue advocating for his patients rights under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Title VI.
 
Currently he works as a freelance Federal, Legal and Medical Interpreter.